Fabio Jakobsen pointed skywards in honour of Gino Mäder when he won the final stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour in Brussels on Sunday, dedicating his latest sprint win to the Swiss rider who died in hospital in Chur from injuries sustained in a crash on the descent of the Albulapass in the finale of stage 5.
"This one was obviously for Gino Mäder, who we will all miss. This is the only thing I can do for him," Jakobsen said afterwards according to sporza.be. "The last two days have not been easy for anyone. Especially not for his family and friends."
Jakobsen, who suffered a near-fatal crash in a downhill sprint in the Tour de Pologne in 2020, criticised the Baloise Belgium Tour stage 5 finish in Brussels, which included a corner with 300 metres to go, saying it was “just asking for trouble.”
He expressed confidence that a soon-to-be-launched safety organisation, SAROC, would hopefully resolve safety issues.
"I heard that Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)” - the winner of stage 1 - “almost fell and many others got into trouble. I think that should not be allowed in the last half kilometre.”
Jakobsen won two stages and finished second in another during the five-day Baloise Belgium Tour, indicating that his preparations for the Tour de France looked to be on track.
The Dutch sprinter will be looking to repeat his stage victory in the race. After two wins in Belgium, and with his Soudal-QuickStep team clearly honed for sprint action, the omens are all good.
"We are happy with our performance here, but the goal is of course the Tour," Jakobsen told sporza.be.
"Everyone stayed on the bike and my legs are getting better and better. So from now on it's important to stay healthy for Le Grand Départ."
Jakobsen's final race date prior to heading to Bilbao for July 1st will be the Dutch National Championships. However Jakobsen warned that Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), the overall winner of the Baloise Belgium Tour, would be the big favourite next Saturday.
